JEDDAH, 5 October 2005 — More than 3,000 items of rare Islamic antiques valued at some SR100 million will be displayed in a week-long exhibition at the Al-Sultan Hall of InterContinental Hotel here. The exhibition opens today.
Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed has extended his full support to the exhibition which has been organized to raise money for the exhibition’s organizer, Charity Warehouse, to finance its humanitarian activities.
“Some of the antiques date back to the 18th and 19th centuries,” said Saud Al-Fulait, executive director of the charity. He said part of the money earned from the show would be used to support some 4,000 poor families.
Al-Fulait described the exhibition as an new way of raising money for charity. The antiques include items from the Prophet’s room and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah and some will be sold at auction during the exhibition.
“The exhibition intends to promote cultural awareness as it helps people buy antiques produced by Islamic civilization,” the executive director of the charity said.
Dr. Attiyah Ahmad Hekami, chairman of the exhibition’s organizing committee, said the exhibits included the full cover of the Prophet’s grave made of five pieces as well as the cover of the grave of Caliph Abubakr. “These rare pieces are being displayed for the first time and have never been shown in any previous exhibitions,” he explained.
Other important items on display are the curtain of the Al-Tauba Door of the Prophet’s Mosque which is 200 years old as well as the curtains of the Prophet’s mihrab (prayer niche), the Prophet’s door, the door of Jibril and the Prophet’s room.
There are several items linked to the Kingdom’s history including the first Holy Kaaba cover made during the time of King Abdul Aziz, a gun used in the Riyadh victory and a variety of gold watches. Old coins from the time of the Prophet as well as from the Omayyad, Abbasid and Fatimid dynasties are also on display.
Visitors are allowed in two shifts from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. every day. The first two days are for men while the next three are for women. The remaining two days have been allocated to families.
